Report 2017-030 Recommendation 11 Responses

Report 2017-030: The State Bar of California: It Needs Additional Revisions to Its Expense Policies to Ensure That It Uses Funds Prudently (Release Date: June 2017)

Recommendation #11 To: Bar of California, State

To ensure that its lobbying expenses are reasonable and cover only allowable activities, the State Bar should revise the terms of its pending lobbying contract to require that the lobbyists provide sufficiently detailed invoices that support the amounts they bill for their services.

60-Day Agency Response

Recently executed lobbying contracts require detailed invoices which will support the amounts billed for services.

Although the State Bar's lobbying contracts will continue to pay the lobbyists a flat monthly fee, the revised contracts require that the lobbyist's monthly invoice must include an itemized list of activities performed and deliverables produced during the invoiced period, and require that the invoiced items tie to the contract scope of services. As a result, the State Bar should receive documentation sufficient to ensure that its lobbying expenses are reasonable and cover only allowable activities.